All About Ladles

A ladle may be a spoon, but a spoon is not a ladle

What is a ladle?

A ladle is a type of serving spoon that is very common in both home and professional kitchens. Often a ladle has a long handle with a deep-welled spoon. The spoon often looks like a small cup. Many ladles have a curve on the end of the handle that allows them to rest on, or hang from, the edge of a pot, dish, bowl, or other container.

Ladle sizes

The size of a ladle depends on its purpose. A soup ladle will be a lot larger than a gravy ladle, because people usually eat larger portions of soup than gravy. A punch ladle would fall somewhere in between.

Why a ladle instead of a spoon?

Ladles are convenient because they allow you to spoon larger quantities of a liquid at one time. This speeds up the serving process considerably. For example, attempting to serve soup with a regular kitchen spoon, or even with a large kitchen spoon, would be a tedious and drawn out process, requiring several refill trips with the spoon. Since a soup ladle holds a lot more liquid, it will only take two or three ladlefuls to fill a bowl.

The cup-like design of a ladle also aids in serving. Because the cup is deep, liquid is less likely to spill out of the ladle. You don't need to fill a ladle to the brim like you would with a spoon, because the ladle holds a lot of liquid in its well. A ladle makes for cleaner serving.

Where can I get a ladle?

Ladles can be purchased in almost every department store. Look in the kitchen and households section by other kitchen utensils. For specific types or styles of ladles, you may want to look in a kitchen specialty store. You may also be able to find punch ladles in a party goods store. For certain kinds of ladles, such as punch ladles or gravy ladles, you may want to get matching bowls or dishes. For example, many gravy boats come with matching ladles.

Ladle varieties

There are many different kinds and styles of ladles. Ladles can be used to serve gravy, punch, soup, and more. Some ladles are made from elegant crystal, some from durable stainless steel, and some from practical plastics. Whatever kind of ladle you choose to use, it is sure to make your serving process cleaner and more efficient.

More information on ladles